


Home Among the Stars

by lizard_socks



Category: Star Trek
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-02-07 13:30:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18621604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizard_socks/pseuds/lizard_socks
Summary: Voth crewman Regan Torra is about to board the USS Navigator for her first assignment.





	Home Among the Stars

The _USS Navigator_ is a big ship. The amount of people on board is just massive. Honestly, it's like a city unto itself. But to me, it still feels small. I spent most of my childhood on a giant city ship, until I got stranded on the other side of the galaxy. I always tell people it's like going back in time - the technology is just so different here in the Federation. You'd think I would understand how it worked by now, but I'm as lost as ever.

I suppose that's a funny thing for a sciences division crewman to say. But I'm not worried about the tech.

"You have a degree in speech pathology from the University of Maryland," said Bashir. "You could have found a job almost anywhere on Earth. But you went out looking for a post on a Starfleet ship."

"I didn't want to stay on Earth," I said. "Or any other planet. I grew up in outer space. If I could get back there..."

"It's quite a broad field, isn't it?"

"I'm going to have to do a _lot_ of different things, I know."

I thought back to my childhood. Our leaders were very strict about maintaining doctrine. Even at a young age, I could tell people weren't able to reach their full potential. And here I was, putting a set of limitations on myself. On Earth, I would be able to focus, specialize in one area, whether it was working with children, or adults... I suppose it would make me better at my job, and I would be able to help people more.

But as good as Earth had been to me, it would never really be _home_.

"You used to be the chief medical officer on Deep Space 9. There were a lot of different species on that station, weren't there?"

"More than you'd usually see on a ship. But there are always exceptions."

"It would certainly offer some variety. But really, as long as I can live in space, and help someone while I'm there... That's all I need."

"You know..." Bashir leaned in a little closer. "I could have done all sorts of things coming out of the Academy. But Deep Space 9 was where I wanted to be. When you're far away from the core of the Federation, and you don't always have technology, or other people, to rely on - it falls to you to be able to make a real difference in someone's life."

I walked up to the window and looked out at the _Navigator_. It was hard to tell just how big the _Galaxy_ -class ship was from here, with the station's unfamiliar Cardassian design the only frame of reference. Although Deep Space 9 was widely known for its location near the Bajoran wormhole, it didn't occur to me until just then that the discovery of the wormhole had taken place before I was born. At that moment, for the first time since I had started college, I felt like a young kid, surrounded by adults.

I just hoped I wouldn't mess anything up.


End file.
